Bathub Gin jams let family show off their creativity

Feb. 6, 2014

Bathtub Gin has a variety of flavors, such as Limoncello Strawberry. / Amy Lorber

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Made in Tennessee is a weekly spotlight featuring products produced in our state. For more information on Tennessee products, visit www.picktnproducts.org. Reach Jen Todd at 615-313-2760 and on Twitter @jentoddwrites.

How did your company get started? My sister, Erin (Ackley), and I do this together. We grew up in Minnesota, and we actually made jams with our mom.

We had been working at desk jobs for a while here in Nashville, and you kind of forget how rewarding it is to create something. We both happen to be rather infatuated with the ’20s and ’30s Prohibition era. During Prohibition, people would distill alcohol in their bathtubs, and it didn’t taste good. A lot of times they would mix this liquor with fruit juices, and that was the birth of the cocktail era.

We decided to do our twist disguising liquor in our fruit jam. Each jar comes with a cocktail recipe, and you use the jam to make a cocktail.

Why alcohol-infused jams? Our parents and grandparents both have huge gardens and do a lot of food preserving, so it’s something we’re familiar with. And there’s something therapeutic about standing and stirring a huge pot of jam.

Where are your products available? The Bloomy Rind. She was our first store in Nashville. We’re also at Green Door Gourmet and the Savory Spice shop in Franklin, and perl. We’re available online, also nationwide at lots of specialty food stores and cheese shops.

Where are they manufactured? We actually have a domestic kitchen; it’s certified by the Department of Agriculture. My sister — truth be told — it’s at her house, and her house been commandeered.

How long have you been making these products? We opened in January 2011.

What’s next for your company? We are wanting to look at some cocktail syrups, and then we also keep experimenting with new flavors. We’re also moving into the cocktail arena.

Is this a full-time or part-time job? It is full-time plus, and then we both also work full-time jobs. So we work nonstop right now.